Karnataka BJP President Nalin Kumar Kateel on Tuesday alleged that by continously supporting the terrorists, the Congress has turned into a party of “terrorists”.

He was addressing the BJP leaders after inaugurating meeting of state office-bearers Murudeshwara town of Uttara Kannada district, he stated that the Congress is defending terrorists for vote bank politics.

The Congress government led by Siddaramaiah supported terrorism, drug and sand mafia. The drug mafia was contained by the BJP government headed by Yediyurappa and Bommai, he said.

“Karnataka Congress President D.K. Shivakumar thinks lightly about the Mangaluru cooker blast. The Congress State President supports divisive forces, anti-nationals and corrupt. Now, it can be called as a party of terrorists,” Kateel stated.

He further stated that before independence and after independence, Savarkar is the only leader to be imprisoned. It’s not only Savarkar, the Congress has also insulted Dr B.R. Ambedkar as well.

Though the Congress came to power in the name of Ambedkar, the party had never given a chance to Ambedkar to contest elections. Even after his demise, the party did not conduct proper final rites for him, Kateel stated. The Congress is not the same it once used to be before independence. It has changed, he said.

India stressed that no alternative to the two-state solution can guarantee peace between Israel and Palestine and said that direct negotiations are the only path to peace.

While addressing the United Nations Security Council, Indian Permanent Representative to the UN, Ruchira Kamboj said, “No alternative to the two-State solution to guarantee lasting peace between Israel and Palestine and direct negotiation the only path that can lead us there.” “India has consistently advocated against all acts of violence,” she added.

Kamboj reiterated India is deeply concerned with development in the West Bank, Jerusalem and Qazi. Violent attacks and the killing of civilians have taken many Palestinian and Israeli lives. Acts of destruction and provocation are also continuing, she said while briefing UNSC on the middle east.

Joint Opposition, led by Congress, on Tuesday, staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha over misuse of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in the Bihar hooch tragedy. Several parliamentarians from parties belonging to Rashtriya Janata Dal, Janata Dal (United), Trinamool Congress, and the Congress walked out from the Upper House raising the issue when Zero Hour was being conducted.

Meanwhile, in the Lok Sabha today BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) MP Chirag Paswan raised the issue of the Bihar hooch tragedy.

The senior BJP MP said that an NHRC team should visit the state while Paswan demanded an imposition of President’s Rule and a CBI probe.
In a press briefing held after the Opposition walked out of the House in Rajya Sabha, RJD leader Manoj Jha accused the BJP-led Central government of misusing the NHRC and using it as a “political tool” in Bihar hooch tragedy issue.

Nepal’s Department of Drug Administration has published a list of 16 Indian pharmaceutical companies, including Divya Pharmacy that manufactures Yoga guru Ramdev’s Patanjali products, that failed to comply with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) good manufacturing practices.

Publication of the list by the department, the national regulatory body of the drugs markets, both allopathic and ayurveda, means that medicines manufactured by those companies cannot be imported to Nepal, according to the Kathmandu Post daily.

“After inspection of the manufacturing facilities of the pharmaceutical companies, which had applied to export their products to our country, we have published the list of the companies that do not comply with the WHO’s good manufacturing practices,” said Santosh KC, a Department spokesperson.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) parliamentary party meeting began with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, other prominent BJP leaders and party MPs participating, in the national capital.

Prominent party leaders participating in the meeting include national president JP Nadda, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and V Muraleedharan.

This evening, Gujarat Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president CR Paatil has organised a dinner in the national capital to celebrate the party’s biggest victory in the recently held assembly polls in the state.
Sources said that the idea of such a gathering was suggested by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

 Dec 20: India recorded 112 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases declined to 3,490, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Tuesday.
The Covid tally stood at 4.46 crore (4,46,76,199).
The death toll stands at 5,30,677 with three fatalities, which includes two deaths reconciled by Kerala and one from Maharashtra in the last 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am stated.
The active cases comprise 0.01 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate increased to 98.80 per cent, the ministry said.
A decrease of 69 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,41,42,032, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent.
According to the ministry’s website 220 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive.
India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.
The country crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23 last year. (Agencies)